I know, I know, this topic has been discussed to death many times and I have read past topics by searching... But I was hoping you could give me some final feedback on the equipment that I have, to see if I've missed anything.

The hardware I will be using for ripping: A Technics 1210MK2 TT, with a Ortofon Arkiv OM cartridge & needle. This runs to an M-Audio Conectiv which seems to work very nicely as a preamp. It's USB and appears as another soundcard. I also have a Vestax PCV275, but I've found this seems to colour the sound a lot, so I'm going with the Conectiv for the (presumably) shorter signal path. I've been considering a Project Phono Box, but I'm not sure the benefits outweigh having to invest in something new.

The one thing that would be nice about the Project Phono Box is that I can record using my Delta 192 @ 24bit, while the Conectiv only goes up to 16bit. I've read this would give 'cleaner' results for post-processing.

I have been ripping in Goldwave, but I recently saw a study (http://src.infinitewave.ca/) which seems to show Gold Wave is pretty poor. However, in all honesty, I can't really understand what the graphs or their explanations mean so I'm purely going on the fact that because some graphics look "noisy" it's bad software.

In terms of post processing, I'll be normalizing everything (the Conectiv seems to output to about -2dB) and have been considering some noise removal. However, it may be that some of the noise I'm hearing is due to dirt in the grooves.

I also only have a carbon fiber brush for cleaning, and as the records I'll be ripping are drum & bass records that have been used primarily for djing - they definitley need a wet clean. Could you recommend any solutions? I've read about making my own, but I don't know where I can find the products (triple/steam distilled water & isopropyl alcohol) in the UK.

Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Any other comments greatly appreciated!

Distilled water or reverse osmosis filtered water are quite adequate for cleaning solutions and rinsing. Around here, both are readily available in groceries, vending machines (bring your own bottles), and special purpose water stores. These are not of ultimate purity, but those extreme preparations, when it comes to this task, are rather like the $20,000 phono preamps. The difference depends strongly upon your imagination.

While alcohol for cleaning has its proponents, I certainly find it useful for some other cleaning jobs, it isnít very likely that you will fine non-water soluble gunk on your LPs. If you have older disks (e.g. 78s) the disk itself will dissolve along with the dirt if you apply alcohol. One of the detergent concentrations intended for kitchen counters and floors, mixed with the above water, will do a good job. Two rinses might be in order to assure all the detergent is gone.

The Disk Doctorís instructions, with your own materials, will produce nice results, although vacuum machines can be nicer. There are many brushes less expensive than the Disk Doctorís. LAST brushes, if still on the market, do a decent job. Those fuzzy paint trimmer pads can often be found in just the right size for an LP. They work well although some people (not me) have found theirs left lint behind. Get them with two inexpensive handles, one for washing, one for rinsing.http://discdoc.com/

The KAB vacuum machine (bring your own vacuum cleaner) is probably the least expensive on the market. It does the job quite well.http://www.kabusa.com/

Any properly functioning recording program, Goldwave included, will give identical results. Where Goldwave and other fall down is in resampling and converting. If you record at higher sample rates and bit depths for processing, then want CD standard for listening, you need better software. There are a couple or three stand-alone (or plug-in?) resamplers often recommended in this forum.

All LPs have fairly high background noise. How noticeable it is depends on the type and level of the music. Damage from poor equipment and dirt add to the basic disk surface noise, but it is easy to measure a rather high level between tracks on even a brand new, properly cleaned, premium quality LP. Good noise reduction software, properly used[i], can significantly reduce that without harming the music.